Tower Mechs
by Transformer-Slash
Summary: Hound and Mirage come from very different walks of life... Mirage/Hound. Rating may change later. I suck at summaries.


Edit: This fanfiction needed an overhaul, BIG time. Since I got an overwhelming response asking me to continue, I will, but not before fixing this train wreck of a fanfiction. Now that my editor has beaten it to death, and I have rehashed some sentences, it is ready to be enjoyed.

Note: Mega-cycle is approximately 93 hours. Solar-cycle is about a day. Nanoklick is a second. Cycle is a minute. These are just the unit of times I have scraped up of TF: wiki. Credits are money.

Original Author Comments: This is shitty, and you shouldn't read it. I wrote it on a whim, inspired by a picture on deviant art. I really like the pairing Hound/Mirage and I wanted to do a fic with them. More specifically how they met. As many fans know; Mirage was a high-society mech and Hound was an Autobot officer before the war. I thought it might be interesting to tell the story of how they met, and fell in love. It would probably be more interesting if I hadn't written it so shittily. I'll probably do another chapter, and maybe even have some good stuff later on (hence M rating)

I own nothing.

FLAME ME! I cannot survive on compliments alone!

* * *

_It's a nice day_, Hound thought as he strolled leisurely through the Towers' area gardens. At first, Hound had vehemently objected to being put on patrol in the upscale area. Most of his fellow officers agreed that nothing ever happened there aside from getting haughty looks and snide remarks from the residents. So far, though, Hound hadn't met any of said locals. He decided to look at it as a sort of day off. He got to wander around the gardens where plants had been imported from alien worlds. He thought it was amusing that, though the plants came from far away worlds full of wilderness and mystery, they had all been neatly manicured to suit the tastes of the tower mechs. Hound attuned his renowned sense of smell to the world around him. He offlined his optics and walked calmly through the shaded pathways.

He was so completely enraptured by it all that he bumped right into a stationary mech who had been standing on the path. Hound fell backwards in shock and looked up at the mech he'd just smacked into, an apology already working its way from his processor to his vocalizer.

"I'm so sor-" his wide blue optics met a pair of placid yellow ones that were looking down at him thoughtfully. Hound's spark fluctuated in his chest for a moment before he managed to finish his request for forgiveness. "-ry."

"That's quite alright." The white and blue mech said and dusted himself off as if Hound had somehow contaminated him. "I don't believe I've seen you around here before."

"I'm, uh, not from around here." Hound said sheepishly, pulling himself up off the ground by the edge of a planter.

"You aren't?" The tower mech's voice held the slighted hint of sarcasm. "Then what brings you to the towers?"

"I'm on patrol." Hound explained. "I'm Autobot Officer Hound, nice to meet you." Hound extended a somewhat grubby hand, which was scrutinized by yellow optics before finally being taken.

"I'm Mirage, nice to meet you." It was obvious that he was doing his best to be cordial, but the mild look of disgust on his face was not missed by Hound.

"Pleasure's all mine." Hound smiled broadly before releasing the blue hand captive in his own.

"Well, I suppose I won't keep you." Mirage said, looking a bit uncomfortable. "I hope you have a pleasant patrol, Officer Hound."

"I think I will, oh, and you can just call me Hound." With that Hound walked on down that path, deciding he would keep his optics online the rest of his shift. He finished walking the gardens and checked his chronometer. His shift was nearly over, but he decided he had time to walk the perimeter of the area on the off chance any riff raff would show up. He finished just in time to head back to Autobot Headquarters.

* * *

"Hiya, Hound!" Jazz greeted his subordinate enthusiastically. Hound smiled and waved on his way to his work desk. He had paper work to file on the whole-lot-of-nothing that his day had included. "How'd the towers go?"

"Like everybody keeps saying, nothing ever happens at the towers." The computer screen at Hound's workstation was cluttered with things that had happened in the other sectors that day. Hound skimmed over them with disinterest. It was the same old same old; a bar fight here, a theft there, and the occasional homicide. Just another day in Autobot ranks.

"No, nothin' there but a buncha rich mechs enjoying the finer things," Jazz said cheerfully. The way he said it made it seem normal and pleasant. Many Cybertronians resented the upper class, but Hound didn't see any real reason to. Tower mechs had their lives and he had his, and his life suited him just fine. "Aw, bad news, Hound," Jazz said suddenly, his console giving a little chime that said he had received a message.

"What's up?" Hound asked. He wasn't terribly nervous of what the news would be. If it were really bad, Jazz would have broken it to him gently. Sure enough, when Hound turned to face his commander, he had a joking smile on his face.

"Looks like you got tower duty again in a mega-cycle. S'what you get for not complainin' 'bout it more." The console in front of Hound lit up as the patrol schedule Prowl had just sent to Jazz was forwarded in turn to him. "Want me to plead with Prowler for ya 'fore it gets sent out?"

"No, that's okay Jazz, I don't mind patrolling the towers." Hound shrugged, and noted the patrols given to his fellow officers before forwarding it to them.

"Don't say that too loud; Prowl might give it to you all the time," Jazz chuckled. "Oh, and speak of the source, here comes the mech himself."

"Jazz, were you talking about me to our subordinates again?" Prowl rolled his optics as he strode in the room holding several data pads.

"Na, 'course not, sir." Prowl chose to ignore the sarcasm and dropped the data pads he had been holding onto Jazz's work station.

"These are field reports from Cliffjumper and Bluestreak, who are staying overnight in Kalis due to some unusual activity." Prowl indicated the data pads. "I want you to file them into the data base and put someone on stand-by in case they need back up."

"Don't gotta tell me twice." Jazz quickly gathered up the data pads and began punching away at his console. "Hound, we in for some overtime."

"Great," Hound said sarcastically, but seeing his commanding officer already hard at work told him he had no right to complain. Jazz lead by example, that was sure. He would sometimes try to dodge out of basic paper work, usually by sweet talking Prowl into doing it for him, but when something was important, he got right down to work. Hound settled in at his console. It was going to be a long night.

* * *

Mirage walked back through the gardens and passed the shops on the way to his home. It had been an interesting sort of day. First, he had chosen to go to the gardens. He knew that they would be mostly deserted today due to a minor event going on in the merchant district. He rather liked the gardens with their soothing greenery molded into fine geometric shapes, but he did not like the crowds they usually drew. He had indeed found himself alone for the most part until he had a run in with the law.

The law in question came in the form of a bewildered Autobot officer who must have been quite preoccupied to run into Mirage on the otherwise empty path. It had been a long while since he had met someone new. In the tower society, few people came and went. Most of the shops were high-scale and sedentary. The servants worked for their masters and rarely sought new jobs. The tower mechs themselves refused to move from the area because the rest of Cybertron was too unfitting for their lifestyle. Thus, a fresh face had taken Mirage completely by surprise.

What a face it had been too. It bore such character and liveliness as Mirage had ever seen. Most of the mechs he knew looked bored or contemplative at all times. All part of being dignified, he supposed. But this officer, this Hound fellow, had seemed so full of vim and vigor. Mirage pondered on this a bit longer before arriving at his estate. It was a tall spire, just like all the others around it, and it gleamed in the starlight. Mirage punched in his key code and stepped inside. He wondered if he would ever see that Autobot again.

* * *

Hound felt reasonably refreshed after his recharge. As it turned out, Bluestreak and Cliffjumper didn't need any help taking care of the minor problem in Kalis. What they had thought was a smuggling operation turned out to be little more than a freelancer trying to sell poorly manufactured upgrades. Nothing they couldn't handle. Nonetheless, Hound had been happy when he was released from duty to go rest and recharge. He was back on duty, but it seemed almost like more off time to be patrolling the towers again.

Today, the gardens were much more crowded than they had been the first time. Mechs hustled everywhere, jabbering about the plants. Some spoke with authority, claiming they had known someone who had been to the flora's planet of origin. Others spoke of things that tower mechs did like attending dances and turbofox hunts and energon tastings. Hound found his way to the back of the gardens area, which was deserted almost entirely. All that was back there was some plant care supplies heaped up in a corner and a rather large tree.

Hound looked at the tree with interest. It looked much sturdier than anything else in the garden. It was tall and lush. Thick vines hung lazily from its branches, and the tree's trunk was thick and swollen. It looked like a sluggish creature that had been well cared for to the point of not needing to do anything for itself. Hound's keen nose detected an intoxicating fragrance wafting from its upper branches, and he saw that decorating the crown of the tree was a delicate pink bloom.

Hound had never seen anything like the little flower. It seemed so out of place on the tree, and while it was not bright or gaudy like the others around it, it still held Hound captive with its beauty. Wanting to get a closer look, Hound found a foothold on the tree and heaved himself up into it. He climbed quickly to the highest point that would support his weight, but the flower was just a bit out of his reach, he stretched and strained until at last he grasped it. Suddenly he lost his footing and fell backwards, the vines catching him as he fell. He found himself hanging upside down from the tree and staring into a familiar blue and white face.

Mirage had covered his mouth with one hand and looked like he was trying to suppress a laugh. Hound flashed an apologetic smile, and Mirage lost his self-control, and let unrestrained laughter shake him. Hound's smile turned to a look of surprise. Upon first seeing Mirage, he had pegged him for the sort of mech who didn't laugh. Yet here he was, looking at him laughing his aft off upside down.

"I-I'm sorry." Mirage said as his chortling subsided. "It's just, that was…"

"Funny?" Hound helped Mirage finish his sentence. "Yeah, it kinda was," he admitted.

"What were you doing up in that tree?" Mirage's expression remained one of amusement; Hound decided he liked it a lot better than the serious looks he was given when they first met.

"Getting this." Hound held out his prize. The pink flower looked fragile and tiny in his large hands.

"It's lovely." Mirage's optics softened.

"Yup, I'd say it was worth falling into some vines for! Speaking of which…"

"Oh! Right." Mirage began assisting Hound's disentanglement. When enough of the vines had been removed, Hound fell to the ground at Mirage's feet. Mirage looked down at him with a concerned expression on his face.

"We've got to stop meeting like this," Hound chuckled, and Mirage's face once more broke into a soft smile as he extended a hand to help Hound to his feet. "Thanks, Mirage."

"No problem at all." Mirage realized how close their proximity was and pulled away, looking slightly flustered. "I really must ask why you were picking flowers when you are supposed to be on patrol."

"Must you?" Hound asked. "We have a saying in the Autobots; nothing ever happens at the towers."

"I suppose that makes sense." Mirage nodded. "We aren't exactly an epicenter of civil unrest."

"Nope. That's probably why they put me on patrol here, now that I think of it." Hound looked thoughtful a moment.

"Why is that?"

"Well, I'm good in a pinch," Hound amended quickly, realizing his previous statement may have made him sound incompetent. "I just prefer not to be involved in conflict unless it's absolutely necessary. They send me on a lot of negotiation and stealth jobs."

"An officer who doesn't like conflict. You're a strange one, Hound." Yellow optics that had before looked at Hound with total disinterest or disgust now looked gentle and comfortable. An almost playful light danced through them.

"Mirage, what are you doing way back here?" A mech called from the garden path nearby. "We were looking for you. We were thinking of departing to get a nosh; care to join us?"

"Oh, uh," Mirage floundered for a moment.

"Who is that you're talking to?" A femme standing next to the mech asked.

"No one." Mirage glanced at Hound apologetically. "I'll be there in a moment; don't wait up."

"Right, then, see you at the entrance." With that, the mech and femme turned and walked back down the path.

"Friends of yours?" Hound asked.

"You could say that," Mirage shrugged. "Well, Officer Hound, it was lovely chatting with you, but I really must be going." Mirage began to walk away, but a black hand on his shoulder stopped him. "Hound, I really must be-" he stopped when he saw the small flower extended out to him.

"Have a good time with your buddies." Hound smiled warmly. Mirage took the flower, a look bordering on awe across his face.

"Perhaps we'll meet again sometime," Mirage said, admiring the beautiful bloom more closely. "Perhaps, here?"

"Maybe we will." Hound agreed. With that, Mirage sauntered back to the main path. Hound's optics didn't leave Mirage until he was out of sight. His spark fluttered in his chest, and the whole rest of the day he felt a curious lightness in everything he did.

* * *

Hound sat down at his console to fill out his report in a dreamy sort of haze. _That Mirage is really something! _ Hound mused. _He has such a nice smile, such a warm laugh. Everything he does seems full of grace. He even looked sorry for not telling his friends who he was talking to._

Hound hadn't really been offended at Mirage's dismissal; he had just sort of expected it. He doubted most hoity-toity tower mechs would approve of their friends associating with someone like Hound. Mirage, though, he didn't seem to mind that Hound was beneath him in status. He still was willing to yuck it up with him about falling out of a tree.

"Cybertron to Hound, come in Hound." Hound snapped out of his daydream to find Jazz waving a hand in his face.

"Oh, hi Jazz." Hound's optics were wide. How had he missed Jazz calling him?

"You were off in grade-A lala-land." Jazz gave Hound a good natured punch in the arm. "We ain't payin' you to daydream."

"Sorry." Hound looked sheepishly at his commander.

"I might forgive you if you dish what you were diggin' on." It was the habit of Jazz to be in the know about his troops' personal lives. He was easy to talk to, and so most Autobots would come to him to unload. He'd gained a reputation for giving good advice and generally being a nice guy.

"Well, I met this mech today, or rather met him again." Hound began, and a blush crept across his face from the knowing way Jazz looked at him.

"What's his name?" Jazz pried, but the two were interrupted when Prowl walked in carrying a data pad and talking busily to someone over a comm-link.

"Uh-huh. I'll tell him. Prowl, over and out." Prowl stopped when he saw the stance Jazz had taken next to Hound. "Jazz, what did I tell you about playing match maker?"

"I'm not; Hound was just tellin' me about his day at the towers." Jazz stopped leaning on Hound's computer console and walked over to his fellow second-in-command. Something most Autobots had to learn to accept was that Jazz and Prowl were both of equal rank, just under Sentinel Prime. Prowl usually handled capture tactics and paper work, and Jazz usually handled special force missions and communications.

"I'm sure." Prowl sat down at his console and started working on his screen. "Well, then, don't mind me, continue your conversation."

"Prowler, you're no fun." Jazz went over and sat on Prowl's console, leaning over his work unnecessarily close to Prowl's face. "'Sides, you know how good I am at playing match maker."

Hound decided to ignore his superior officers and knuckle down to work. The sooner he got it all done, the sooner he could head out.

* * *

The next chapter is already written. My editor just needs to fix it before I post it. If you know of any cool pictures, videos, or fanfics of Hound and Mirage please send them my way. I'm trying to get inspired so I can write more of this. Thanks all!


End file.
